{"id":15712,"date":"2021-06-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/17-06-2021\/children-and-digital-dumpsites-who\/"},"modified":"2025-07-12T12:32:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:02:38","slug":"children-and-digital-dumpsites-who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/17-06-2021\/children-and-digital-dumpsites-who","title":{"rendered":"Children and Digital Dumpsites: WHO"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>In News<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Recently, a<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> World Health Organisation<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> (WHO) report has stated that over 18 million kids at e-waste dumpsites face the threat of health hazards.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>About the Report<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The report, titled <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Children and Digital Dumpsites: e-waste exposure and child health<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> was published in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>June 2021<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It underlined the risk children faced while working in the informal processing of discarded electronic devices or e-waste.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It also summarized the latest <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>scientific knowledge on the links between informal e-waste recycling activities and health outcomes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> in children.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Major Findings<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Threats to Children and Women:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> As young as 5 years old children, total amounting to 18 million children and 12.9 million women, including pregnant women, work at these dumpsites every year posing threat to themselves of the effect of the hazardous waste.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Health Hazards:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> The report stressed that children working at these \u2018digital dumpsites\u2019 are more prone to improper lung function, deoxyribonucleic acid damage and increased risk of chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Indiscriminate Dumping:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Every year, the e-waste from high-income countries is dumped in the middle or low-income countries for processing; the latter do not even have proper safeguarding regulation. This makes the process even more dangerous.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Increasing Awareness:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> The report is intended to increase awareness and knowledge among health professionals of the dangers that e-waste recycling poses to the health of future generations and is a call to action to reduce children\u2019s exposure to harmful e-waste activities.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Rising e-Waste:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> The volume of e-waste generated is surging rapidly across the globe.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It has grown 21 per cent since 2014 and is set to keep expanding.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">About 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste was generated in 2019, according to the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\"><strong><u>Global E-waste Statistics Partnership<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. It is expected to reach 74.7 million tonnes by 2030, while global employment in the waste sector is projected to soar by some 70 per cent, or another 45 million jobs, many of them in e-waste processing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Only 17.4 per cent of this e-waste was processed in formal recycling facilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Impacts on Children and Women<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Prenatal and childhood exposures<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> to e-waste toxicants are associated with:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">impaired neurological and behavioural development.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">negative birth outcomes.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">lung function and respiratory effects (including cough, wheeze and asthma).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">impaired thyroid function.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">changes in cardiovascular system function.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">DNA damage.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">immune system impacts (including greater vulnerability to infection, reduced immunization response and higher rates of allergies and autoimmune diseases).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">increased risks of chronic disease later in life (including cancer and cardiovascular disease).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Expectant mothers exposed<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> to these toxicants face higher risks of <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>negative birth outcomes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Stillbirth.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Premature births.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Low birth weight and length.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Impaired neurodevelopment in their babies.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Post Natal Hazards<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Lead:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Exerts toxic effects on various systems in the body such as the central (organic affective syndrome) and peripheral nervous systems (motor neuropathy), the hematopoietic system (anaemia), the genitourinary system (capable of causing damage to all parts of nephron) and the reproductive systems (male and female).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Mercury:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Causes damage to the genitourinary system (tubular dysfunction), the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as the foetus. When inorganic mercury spreads out in the water, it is transformed into methylated mercury, which bio-accumulates in living organisms and concentrates through the food chain, particularly by fish.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Cadmium:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Is a potentially long-term cumulative poison. Toxic cadmium compounds accumulate in the human body, especially in the kidneys. There is evidence of the role of cadmium and beryllium in carcinogenicity.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH):<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Affects lung, skin and bladder. Epidemiological studies in the past on occupational exposure to PAH provide sufficient evidence of the role of PAH in the induction of skin and lung cancers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Source: <\/span><\/span><\/span><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240023901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\"><u>WHO Report<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Challenges<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Devastating Health Effects on Children: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Children are less likely to metabolise or eradicate pollutants absorbed and are more prone to improper lung function and at the risk of chronic diseases. E.g. A child who eats just one chicken egg from Agbogbloshie, a waste site in Ghana, will absorb 220 times the European Food Safety Authority daily limit for intake of chlorinated dioxins.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Increase in IMR and MMR:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) are bound to increase when pregnant women and children are exposed to such an environment.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Unorganized Waste Management Systems:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> e-waste is often discarded alongside other solid waste, ending up in landfills. Such discarded e-waste can leach toxicants into aquifers and drinking water supplies.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Impacts Across Neighborhoods: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The hazardous impact of working at such sites is also experienced by families and communities that reside in the vicinity of these e-waste dumpsites.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Pollution from Burning: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The burning of e-waste materials to extract metals also makes e-waste sites frequent sources of intense air pollution contaminated by toxic mixes of harmful particles, including heavy metals and industrial chemicals and compounds.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Informal Processing:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Illegal processing by informal workers is a major threat. Informal methods of removing materials from e-waste have been linked to a range of health effects, especially in children<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Rise in Use of Electronic Appliances: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">E-Waste is likely to increase in the coming years because of the rise in the number of smartphones and computers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Burden on Health Sector: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Its impacts will lay a heavy burden on the health sector in the years to come. Most of the countries facing this issue are low and middle income. This enhanced health impact will take toll on finance of the country<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Babies are More Prone: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Babies face additional risks from the body burdens of their mothers through <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>breast milk<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>transplacental exposure<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and from direct contact with toxic chemicals from frequent hand-to-mouth behaviour.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Recommendations\/Suggestions<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Ensure health and safety of e-waste workers, children, their families and communities<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> with systems that train and protect workers, that monitor exposures and health outcomes, and that make protecting children the highest policy priority.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Enforce sound environmental health practices<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> for disposal, recapture and reuse of materials.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Shift towards a circular economy <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">by manufacturing more-durable electronics and electrical equipment, using safer and less-toxic materials, and encouraging sustainable consumption to reduce e-waste, as opposed to the current trend of increasing turnover.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Manage e-waste by prioritizing health and environmental protection<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> throughout the life cycle, with reference to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, appropriate regional conventions and the Sustainable Development Goals on waste management.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Eliminate child labour and incorporate adult e-wastes workers into the formal economy with decent conditions <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">across the value chain of collection, processing\/recycling and resale by incorporating informal workers in the formal economy.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Calls for <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>binding action by exporters, importers and governments<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> to ensure environmentally sound disposal of e-waste and the health and safety of workers and communities.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The health sector is also being asked to <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>reduce adverse effects from e-waste<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> by building up capacity to diagnose, monitor and prevent toxic exposure, and to advocate for better data and health research on risks faced by informal e-waste workers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The health sector can play a role by <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>providing leadership and advocacy<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, conducting research, influencing policy-makers, engaging communities, and reaching out to other sectors to demand that health concerns be made central to e-waste policies.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Better <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>recycling presents opportunities<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> for increased income and decreased demand for new materials.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Regional and national <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>capacity-building for health-based assessment of e-waste policies and regulations<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, particularly regarding children\u2019s health;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Raising awareness<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> of e-waste health risks and encouraging responsible recycling with policy-makers, communities, waste workers and their families;\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Building <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>health sector capacity to diagnose, monitor and prevent toxic exposures<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> within primary health care services for children and women;<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pursuing <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>better data and further research about women and children involved with e-waste,<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> as well as studies about implementation and effectiveness of protective measures.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 5px;\">\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; border: none; width: 596px;\" cellspacing=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background-color: #ffe599; vertical-align: top; width: 596px; border: 1px solid #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Efforts by WHO<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The WHO Initiative on<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> E-waste and Child Health<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> was launched in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>2013<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>aims <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">to<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Increase access to evidence, knowledge and awareness of the health impacts of e-waste.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Improve the health sector capacity to manage and prevent risks, track progress.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Promote e-waste policies that better protect child health.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Improve monitoring of exposure to e-waste and the facilitation of interventions that protect public health.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">WHO is a <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>member of the E-Waste Coalition<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, a group of 10 UN agencies and international organizations who have come together to increase collaboration, build partnerships and more efficiently provide support to Member States to address the e-waste challenge.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">At the local level, WHO is <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>helping to develop frameworks<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> to protect children from e-waste exposure.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The pilot projects aim to<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> promote local advocacy and collaborate with communities<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, build the capacity of primary health systems to address risks by monitoring e-waste exposure and measuring the success of interventions.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">These projects are designing<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> frameworks that can be adapted and replicated in different countries<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>and settings<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and are currently being run in the African Region and the Region of the Americas.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Basel Convention<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and their Disposal was <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>adopted on 22<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><sup>nd<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> March 1989<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland, in response to a public outcry following the discovery, in the 1980s, in Africa and other parts of the developing world of deposits of toxic wastes imported from abroad.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Awakening environmental awareness and corresponding tightening of environmental regulations in the industrialized world in the 1970s and 1980s had led to increasing public resistance to the disposal of hazardous wastes, in accordance with <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>what became known as the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) syndrome<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, and to an escalation of disposal costs.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This in turn led some operators to seek cheap disposal options for hazardous wastes in Eastern Europe and the developing world, where environmental awareness was much less developed and regulations and enforcement mechanisms were lacking.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It was against this background that the Basel Convention was negotiated in the late 1980s and its <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>thrust at the time of its adoption was to combat the <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>toxic trade<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201d, as it was termed.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Convention entered into <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>force in 1992<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Objectives<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">To <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>protect human health<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>the environment against the adverse effects of hazardous wastes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Its scope of application covers a wide range of wastes defined as \u201chazardous wastes\u201d based on their origin and\/or composition and their characteristics, as well as two types of wastes defined as \u201cother wastes\u201d &#8211; household waste and incinerator ash.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Aims and Provisions: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The provisions of the Convention center around the following principal aims<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Reduction of hazardous waste generation and the promotion of environmentally sound management of hazardous wastes, wherever the place of disposal.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Restriction of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes except where it is perceived to be in accordance with the principles of environmentally sound management.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Regulatory system applying to cases where transboundary movements are permissible.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Electronic Waste or e-waste<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is the term used to describe <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>old, end-of-life electronic appliances<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> such as computers, laptops, TVs, DVD players, mobile phones, mp3 players, etc. which have been disposed of by their original users.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It has been classified into <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>three main categories<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Large Household Appliances:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> Refrigerator and washing machine\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>IT and Telecom: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">PC, monitor and laptop<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Consumer Equipment: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">TV, mobile<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>E Waste Coalition<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In March 2018, at the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>World Summit on Information Society<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> (WSIS) <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Forum<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, the <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>International Telecommunication Union<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> (ITU) and six other United Nations entities signed a Letter of Intent paving the way for greater collaboration in the area of e-waste management in <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>developing a UN e-Waste Coalition<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Further to this, at the 2019 WSIS Forum, three new UN entities signed the Letter of Intent.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Letter\u2019s aims include a commitment by the signatories to<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Increase collaboration.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Building partnership.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Supporting Member States to address the global WEEE challenge.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In line with these aims, the Coalition comprises the following three core functions:??<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(Image Courtesy: <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\"><u>ITU<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Goals of Coalition<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Support countries to reduce and manage WEEE with the aim of creating jobs, while protecting workers, human health and the environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Strengthen the capacity of countries to formulate and implement integrated WEEE management policies and practical measures.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Create synergies and add value to existing programmes, partnerships and projects by avoiding duplication of resources and efforts. UN entities to \u201cdeliver as one\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Increase awareness and engagement of key WEEE stakeholders at the global, regional, national and local levels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Support the development of a circular economy of e-products, using existing international expertise.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Prevent illegal trafficking of WEEE via transboundary movements, ensuring it is carried out in line with international requirements.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: circle;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Promote opportunities for non-state actors (e.g. industry) to be part of the solution on WEEE challenges.??<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><u>Reasons for Difficult e-waste Management in India<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The producers\/manufacturers <\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>do not have adequate information<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> on their website regarding e waste management.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Customer care representatives do not have inkling about any take back or recycling programme<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> and even if they have set up collection centres, they are simply not enough for a geographically vast country like India.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>India being a vast country, setting up collection mechanisms is a big challenge<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. If any of the brands try individually to reach out to all corners of the country, it will economically not be sustainable or feasible.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: disc;\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Improper enforcement of the existing laws<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"> is another hurdle.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Source: <\/span><\/span><\/span><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/news\/health\/amp\/over-18-million-kids-at-e-waste-dumpsites-face-threat-of-health-hazards-who-77504\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\"><u>DTE<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In News Recently, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report has stated that over 18 million kids at e-waste dumpsites face the threat of health hazards. About the Report The report, titled Children and Digital Dumpsites: e-waste exposure and child health was published in June 2021. It underlined the risk children faced while working in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[60,26],"class_list":["post-15712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-environmental-pollution-degradation","tag-gs-3"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/5259221current-affairs.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15712"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24467,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15712\/revisions\/24467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}